Utut beats Stefanova in Makita chess tourney

Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

GM Utut Adianto bounced back from a surprise loss to beat GM Antoaneta Stefanova in the third round of the Makita-Lakoni International Grand Master Chess Tournament here on Wednesday.

The favorite in the tournament, which features six players, Utut was dealt a blow on Tuesday when, holding white, he lost to GM Zhu Chen.

Utut played down suggestions that he was extra motivated for Wednesday's match following his surprise loss.

"Win or lose is the nature of the game. For world-class players, we rely purely on tactical assessments. We leave behind nontechnical matters," Utut told The Jakarta Post.

"A loss should not scare us in the next game," he said.

Utut stopped Stefanova in 64 moves in an English game.

The other two games on the day ended in draws. IM Danny Juswanto was unable to find an opening for his second win of the tournament, settling for a draw with 16-year-old IM Susanto Megaranto in a 39-move Nimzo game.

IM Hoang Thanh Trang scored his first points of the event by holding Zhu to a draw in 29 moves in an English game.

"Danny looked like he was protecting against the possibility of a loss. He was happy to share the points with Susanto," Bing Sardjono, who offered commentary during the games, said of the all-Indonesian match.

A repetition of bishop moves finally ended the game between Zhu and Hoang, both players happy with half a point each.

"Zhu sought to trade her bishop for Hong's well-placed bishop, but the latter refused. This prompted a repetition of bishop moves as Zhu herself had no other options," Bing said.

Utut said he took control of the game after 10 moves. It was a testament to Stefanova's resilience on defense that she was able to extend the Indonesian chess star to 64 moves.

"I opted for a c4 in the 10th move after which I forced Stefanova into a total defense. Her pieces camped en masse at the back. But she managed to hang on with her good defense," Utut said.

Danny, who is playing in his first international tournament in two years, and Zhu top the standings with two points each. Utut, Stefanova and Susanto are tied on 1.5 points, while Hong remains at the bottom with half a point.

Danny's last appearance was at the Wismilak Invitation in Surabaya, East Java, which was won by Stefanova.